


Divided We Fall

by sstaticcat



Series: Divided We Fall [1]
Category: Divided We Fall - Fandom, Original Work
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-21
Updated: 2018-03-21
Packaged: 2019-04-05 09:02:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14040795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sstaticcat/pseuds/sstaticcat
Summary: "What would you do if you were faced with an impossible choice that would determine your fate?"---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Kodi lives in The Broken City, an ancient human city, where he works and coexists among groups of other animals. After a harrowing incident with what seemed to be a monstrous coyote attacking him, the city is bombarded by attacks by similarly afflicted animals. After the attacks get too much and the City crumbles beneath the pressure, it's up to Kodi and his friends to find the source of these creatures and put an end to it, or else life as he knows it will never be the same.





	Divided We Fall

**Author's Note:**

> It's finally out! I've been working on this for the better part of the last few months so I hope you all enjoy! <3  
> Kudos and Comments are appreciated!   
> I don't have a set update schedule quite yet, so please bear with me!

_**Prologue** _

 

“How’d she get this one?” The buff tabby tom addressed his shorter, stocky companion with a question. The other shrugged. “Who the hell know how she gets any of the subjects? All I know is that she called us down to make sure things don’t get out of hand.” Their pawsteps echoed softly as they trod through the cold dark of one of the massive cave’s tunnels. A soft green light signaled that they had arrived at their destination. The soft gurgle of the huge puddle of strange green liquid always seemed so ominous. Everyone knew what it was for. But these two had never seen it in action, not until tonight.

A sudden yelping from behind had interrupted the two’s shared apprehension. Some scrawny animal was being dragged into the cave by its front legs by a huge, scarred rottweiler, a coyote. It looked malnourished and almost abnormally small, especially when compared to the rottweiler who dragged him in.  “P-Please! I-I’m starving, where are you taking m-” The coyote’s cries echoed against the cave walls as he was shoved past the two other guards, who stood at attention near the entrance. They were cut off when he caught sight of the bubbling, bright green pool that cast its erie glow throughout the cave. His jaw went slack as he whispered, “What i-is that?” He began to tremble, and outright screeched, “WHAT IS THAT?!” as the rottweiler shoved him closer to it.

The coyote felt the strange heat that radiated from the pool, the green so bright it was blinding against the dark of the cave. The coyote’s pleas and wails echoed against the walls as he begged to know what was going on. Starved and kept in a cold, dank cave for months on end, only to be dragged out and brought to whatever the hell this scary green water-looking stuff was. The rottweiler remained passive, almost indifferent as she kept kicking and snapping at the coyote to move. Every time the coyote tried running or fighting back, she pushed him down with her huge, strong paws and bit hard on his leg, his ear, his tail. The two now stood at the very edge of the pool of chemicals, its acrid, unnatural smell stinging their noses.  The rottweiler looked up into the shadows that stood beyond the reach of the pool’s glow with the corner of her eye. There, a flash of a green eye caught the limited light as its owner gave a small, barely noticeable nod. The rottweiler nodded back, and grabbed the coyote by his scruff as he began to scream, louder than he ever had. “P-PLEASE, C’MON DON-DON’T DO THIS TO ME I-” His voice, high pitched with terror was cut off as the rottweiler wordlessly hurled him into the pool.

And then it started to burn.

The rottweiler backed away quickly as the coyote splashed into the chemicals, smoke rising from his already patchy pelt as he let loose with a horrible, rasping scream. The pain of the chemicals splashing against his body hurt too much for words. He writhed in the shallow yet way too deep pool of neon green. Just as the searing pain got to be enough to make him pass out, his skin began to bubble, then it melted away, making him scream louder than he thought his wheezy lungs could produce. His rolling eyes caught sight of the other three animals on the ground with him. The two feline guards were looking on in awed horror, and the rottweiler remained indifferent as ever, her brown gaze focused on nothing in particular as the coyote’s agony reverberated off of the cave’s walls. The sounds of his own screams made the coyote feel worse somehow, as if the sound of his own suffering amplified it that much more. He stumbled and fell onto his side, exhaustion had finally claimed him. _I’m gonna die._

His vision went black as pain at last pulled him out of consciousness.

 

_**Chapter One** _

 

The sun was angled in the sky as Kodi paced down the cracked asphalt of the road, passing by other animals who were lazing around contentedly after finishing their respective jobs and tasks in the City. There were others still working diligently, sorting caught prey into piles and storing them up within high, stable parts of the landscape of shattered buildings that made up their home. Kodi weaved past a pair of raccoons passing prey between each other, dipping his head in greeting as he went. Kodi finally caught sight of the person he was looking for, given away by his broad, long-furred black shoulders and tufted ears. “Aeron, sir!” Kodi addressed the leader of the City as he finally caught up to him, just as Aeron had dismissed a conversation with a grey fox. Aeron turned his attention to Kodi as he stepped up, urging him to speak with a nod. Kodi shook off his nervousness as he began to speak “I figured that since I’m finished helping out around the City, I could go on a quick scout, sir.”

“Of course, Kodi. Glad to see that you’re so eager to contribute.” Aeron waved over two other individuals, a young black and white tom and a black and grey tabby molly. “Take Zachary and Ebony with you, I’m sure that they need some time outside the City.” He continued as the two came over, and then explained their assignment. “Don’t stray too far from the established paths, and please keep within earshot of each other. Remember to stay on the lookout for any lost citizens or forest-dwellers on our borders, and if you see one, politely escort them back to where they need to be, respectively.” As he finished his briefing, the three gave a short goodbye and started back out onto the main road, the cracks in the asphalt familiar under Kodi’s paws. As soon as they were out of the City and the concrete turned to soft summer grass, Zachary piped up with a “So! What are you guys expectin’ to find on this one?” Zachary was young compared to the others, just under a year old. He always approached the tasks he was given with vigor and enthusiasm, and even as a little kit was full of seemingly endless energy, even for a kit. Kodi gave an indifferent shrug. “Probably nothing special, not a lot of citizens go so far into the forest to the point where they get lost, and by now the forest dwellers know to stay away from us, or are just to busy surviving to care.”

Zachary gave a fake pout before springing in front of Kodi and turning to him, walking backwards as he said “Yeah, but that’s so _boring!_ Like, what if we run into something really cool like an ancient graveyard, or a giant three eyed monster bear, or even a _human!_ Like, they can’t all be dead forever right?” Kodi gave him an amused smile, the tom’s imagination was impressive for sure. “Humans have been gone for longer than any of us can count. The only reason we know that they even existed is because of the City and all the other structures like it, and stories from the elders that they get from who knows where.” Zachary rolled his eyes in exasperation and gave an exaggerated sigh of defeat. “You’re no fuuun,” He whined before yelping as his backside rammed into the trunk of a tree. He had picked up his backward pace without noticing. Kodi gave a chuckle as Zachary stuck his tongue out at him.

Ebony had finally piped up after several minutes of silence with, “We should probably split up here, It would be better for us to fan out and search to make sure we don’t miss anything,” She marked their current location as where they should meet back up after say, 20 minutes or so, and the three picked their respective directions to go off in. Kodi started off, weaving through the thick trunks and dense foliage of the forest with some mild difficulty. Even with the few times he’s actually done scouting work, he should have some experience with traversing the forest, but Kodi still prefered the broken yet even landscape of his home. After a bit of trekking, Kodi found an open dirt path, overgrown with weeds and ferns, that reached into a more barren part of the forest. He began to pick through the crowded shrubs and and reaching ferns, stumbling even more than before over unseen obstacles. The path eventually cleared out and opened into a clearing, surrounded on all sides by dense foliage and vibrantly colored flowers that brought life to the otherwise dreary surroundings. But something was off. In the center of the clearing was a coyote, standing stone still for seemingly no reason. Their fur was scruffy and had bare, red patches where it was torn out, scars everywhere else, and they shuddered violently. Kodi got concerned immediately, this was suspicious, even for a simple trespasser. The coyote made his fur crawl, so he called out to them instead of getting any closer.

“Hello?”

No response.

“Hello?”

Kodi took a tentative step further into the clearing, calling out once again, and once again receiving no response beyond the twitch of the coyote’s torn ear. Kodi crept closer, starting to tremble slightly himself. This was _ridiculously_ creepy, and Kodi was resisting the urge to just bolt out of there, and the closer he got to the coyote, the more the feeling worsened. Kodi finally came just a few feet behind them, and called out one more time with another uncertain, “Hello…?”

Kodi noticed the dried blood on the coyote’s paws too late as the creature whipped around, snarling furiously as it lunged at Kodi with teeth that gleamed like razors. Kodi scrambled just out of reach with a terrified shriek as he bolted back into the darkening forest. The woods were now distorted and warped by the shadows that came with the setting sun, and he felt the coyote’s hot, rancid breath on his tail multiple times as the coyote gained on him, and Kodi just narrowly escaping down a path he notices at the last second. His paws pound against the soft, uneven forest floor as fast and as hard as he can make them, but Kodi can tell that he’s starting to tire with all of the stumbling over stones and roots that he keeps doing. An image of his broken, bloody body being left in the woods with no one to call for help gave Kodi a new burst of adrenaline as he hurled himself up a tree, claws digging desperately into the sturdy trunk and the rest of his body flinging into a branch just as the coyote catches up and snaps at his foot, its jaws snapping closed on air. Nestled in the crook between two branches, Kodi took a second to catch his breath, his chest heaving in great burning gulps of air as the coyote carried on baying and howling beneath him.

Kodi got a closer look at the howling creature below him, and began to notice how _wrong_ it was.

An extra third eye beneath its left, glossy and discolored. A muzzle lined with teeth that were much too sharp, like with a quick snap of its jaws, whatever was caught between them would be savagely torn to ribbons. And the most terrifying detail, a fifth leg that grew out of its front left, red and ravaged by boils and pores that oozed with some sort of liquid and capped off with marks that looked like dire burn scars slashed across and all around it. The coyote’s eyes were void of any true emotion, only fury and what looked to be hunger as it continued to holler and shriek at its captive, leaping and snatching at the air with its wicked fangs. Fresh terror bubbled up in Kodi’s throat and released itself in the form of a ragged, high pitched “HELP!”

Kodi’s terrified pleas for help kept tumbling out of him like rocks falling down a cliffside, screeching and desperate until a faraway rustle in the bushes silenced him. The animal coming towards the two came with booming footsteps and made the trees shake as it passed, leaves fluttering like anxious birds ruffling their feathers. A fresh shot of terror ran through Kodi’s already tense body, and for a moment he considered his options, die a hopefully quick death, shredded to pieces by whatever the hell was still going absolutely mad below him, just barely drowning out the approaching footsteps, or face whatever those footsteps belonged to. Another grand thump made birds in the surrounding trees evacuate, a flurry of crazed flapping and snapping wingbeats lifting them into the sky and away from the threat. Option one sounded pretty appealing right about now. Kodi began to lower himself down carefully as the coyote thing began barking louder than it ever had before, making Kodi’s ears ring and nose wrinkle as its rancid breath hit him in full force, the stench of blood and death strong and revolting on its warm, moist breath. Kodi knew he couldn’t go from branch to branch to avoid the coyote and the other approaching animal, he was never very good at doing that and at some point the leaps he would have to make would be beyond his already limited ability. He’d rather die running for dear life than lying on the forest floor with a broken leg. If Kodi could just _bolt_ as soon as his paws touched ground, he may be able to-

A black bear finally emerged from the bushes, her familiar cinnamon fur and scarred hide didn’t have time to fully register in Kodi’s mind as she lunged forward, a huge clawed paw slamming against the coyote creature with an audible _crack_. Clarine had broken something for sure, Kodi thought as she continued to set upon the coyote with wide, sweeping swats as the coyote crashed against tree after tree, the crowded forest aiding in the destruction of his already broken spine, helpless as Clarine continued.  She eventually let the creature limp away, its pathetic whines high and pitiful as it hobbled away as its broken body could manage. Clarine watched with cold brown eyes as Kodi fully lowered himself from his tree, just managing to stammer out a thank you to get Clarine’s attention. Clarine’s broad head swung around at his noise. “What the hell was all that?”

Kodi’s mouth flapped open and closed in an attempt to force some words out of his throat, but all he could manage was a fearful squeak. He was still high on a rush of unrivaled fear and was ready to jump at the slightest movement that suggested the creature returning. Clarine sidled up next to him as a comforting gesture. “It’s fine if you don’t want to talk about it, I can tell you’re still a bit shaken up. What business are you on this far out in the woods? I’m pretty sure you’re beyond the City’s territory.” Kodi’s spiked fur began to smoothen out as he explained the scout, the decision to split up, and the weird coyote that actually wasn’t a coyote and _was_ a crazy bloodthirsty... _thing_ . Clarine listened with a patient look on her face, and piped up with, “I can walk you back to your partners, and I know you won’t try to, but you can’t convince me otherwise.” She was always the type to make sure her stance was absolutely clear, and also the kind who wouldn’t budge on a decision, even if the fate of the world depended on her saying no for once. She  stood and gestured for Kodi to walk in front of her. As the two made their way through the darkening woods and Kodi’s heart stopped trying to claw its way out of his throat or bash through his chest, he pondered Clarine’s question. What _was_ that thing? Where did it come from? Why did it act so weird? All this line of thinking did was feed into Kodi’s already scattered thoughts as his paws pressed into the cool, soft earth as Clarine paced behind him. Her presence brought him an immense amount of comfort, and he was grateful for her selfless offer as his companions came within sight, Zachary pounding towards them as soon as he heard their approach, a bewildered and relieved Ebony trailing behind him.

“Sorry I-” Kodi’s apology was cut short by Zachary bowling him over in a tangle of black and white and brown fur and without hesitation battering him with concerned questions and relieved gratitude.

“Where the hell were you?! Ebony and I got so worried and we were wondering if you had gotten lost or even _killed_ and wondering how we were- Oh, hi Clarine- gonna break the news to the others and why do you smell funny and _thank goodness you’re okay!!_ ”  Ebony began to peel the babbling tom off of a newly startled Kodi, who then stood and nodded at Clarine in thanks. She returned it the same wordless gesture and began to set back out towards the forest after the four had talked for a bit, explaining the reason Kodi was late, omitting the details about the coyote’s monstrous nature at Kodi’s behest, he had told Clarine on the way back not to mention anything about the coyote being strange to the others. The three scouts began to make their way back toward the City when the conversation ended, Kodi grateful for their silence as the three trekked from the uncertain, frightening territory of the woods to the familiar grounds of their home. Kodi released a breath he didn’t notice he was holding as his paws at last touched asphalt for the first time in hours. Ebony waved Kodi off so that he could sleep off the stress of his attack as the other two approached Aeron to report the results of their scout to their leader. Kodi found a spot high in some relatively intact building as the stars began to bloom into existence, heralding the approach of night. He curled up with his tail touching his nose in a moss nest that was huddled in a windowsill and closed his eyes, his dreams full of echoing snarls and the wet sound of jaws snapping closed over his throat, blood rushing uncontrollably out of his mouth like a forceful waterfall that ran in a warm, thick rush of crimson that coated his chest and legs, turning his brown chest a dark crimson as he fell into a puddle of his own blood with a wet, meaty thump.


End file.
